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Francis Midford
Marchioness Frances Middleford (フランシス ミッドフォード Furanshisu Middofōdo) is a noblewoman and is the wife of Marquis Middleford, sister of Vincent Phantomhive and mother of Elizabeth Middleford. Appearance Frances is known for her beauty and presents herself as a clean, orderly woman. She keeps her hair in a tight bun, but has a long cowlick with a slight curl, much like her daughter. She wears a clean, slightly ornate dress with white gloves and a short, beaded necklace. When she is hunting, she changes into a short jacket, pants and riding boots. It is understood that she is well-toned, due to her intense, physical training.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 14, page 12 Personality She is known for her ambition and prowess. She first met her husband, Marquis Middleford, when she defeated him in a fencing tournament held by Queen Victoria. She is also known as someone who is strict, abides by the rules, never hides her actions and abstains from desire and temptation. For this reason, she is highly respected.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 14, page 11 She also, apparently, has a tendency to arrive to locations earlier than expected or planned. Frances tends to regard most others with a level of disdain, as she insults Ciel Phantomhive's bed head and calls Sebastian Michaelis "indecent" and "inappropriate." She does, however, eventually gain a level of respect for both of them, and does seem to respect Tanaka, as she tells Ciel and Sebastian to learn from him regarding their appearance.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 14, page 10 She has shown that she cares about her family very much, as it is extremely important to her that Elizabeth marry a man who can take care of her. Manga's Synopsis Jack the Ripper Frances is first seen some months after Angelina Durless's death, when she and Elizabeth pay a visit to the Phantomhive manor. When she arrives, she is not impressed by Sebastian's and Ciel's lackluster appearances, and insists on an inspection. While Sebastian had prepared everything for her visit, Baldroy, Mey-Rin and Finnian have accidentally destroyed all of his preparations. thumb|left|120px|Frances appears to shoot and kill a bear. As a back-up plan, he leads her out to the stables, where she challenges Ciel to a hunting competition. Sebastian outlines the rules as whoever can kill the most animals in a 25 km range of the forest in three hours. At the end of the competition, Ciel and Frances tie with 15 animals each. They go to lunch, and agree they cannot leave it at a draw. While eating, a bear comes out of the forest and attacks Elizabeth. Ciel dives on her to protect her, while it appears that Frances killed the bear with a single shot. Ciel concedes that because she killed a sixteenth animal, she is the victor, and they decide to return to the manor. While on the way there, Frances talks quietly with Sebastian, where she returns a knife that he "left behind" in the bear's head. She comments that she was so flustered by her fear for Elizabeth's safety that her shot missed, and she questions why Sebastian didn't allow Ciel to take glory for his killing of the bear. Sebastian replies that Ciel has a lot of ambitions and that if he cannot learn some humility, then in the future, should he ever stumble, he may not be capable of recovering. He adds that while Ciel is a head of a house, he is just a child. Therefore, he needs someone to look up to, and he thought Frances would be a good adult role model. At the manor, it is shown that the other servants prepared a surprise birthday party for Ciel, which turns out to be the real reason for Frances' and Elizabeth's visit. Quotes *(To Ciel) "I came to hold a surprise check up and it seems you are lazing about as usual. On top of that, your butler is still as indecent as ever! Keep in mind that you are the man that my very own daughter will marry in the future. Re-training will take place today! I shall begin with the inside of your mansion! Unruliness in the home environment is the first thing that will lead to the heart being unruly." *"This is a good chance for me to see the kind of man my daughter will marry. But maybe ... hunting is too much work for Earl Phantomhive who is incredibly feminine?" *"Hmph. It will be at least ten years before you can beat me. Though, you are worthy of my praise after such a display of bravery. You gave your all to protect my little girl. So, I owe you one. You are worthy of being my son-in-law, Earl Ciel Phantomhive." *(To Sebastian) "You took out the bear, right? My shot missed. I panicked when I saw it go for her; I must be getting old..." *(To Mey-Rin, Baldroy and Finnian) "I will be counting on you all to take care of my daughter and her husband in the future." Trivia * Her only "appearance" in the anime has been limited to a brief, relatively unclear snapshot of her in a photograph.Kuroshitsuji anime, Episode 12 References Navigation Category:Characters Category:Nobles Category:Manga-Only Characters